I lived in the mid-west for 3 years that seemed like 50 years :-) I hated the mid-west, but loved the bowling :-) Many places were small,8-16 lane places in Quonset huts. These places had to turn people away. Maybe more, smaller, friendlier bowling establishments with just a snack bar is the way to go. Such a place would be a much easier place to maintain with just a few interested folks.

Covina closed? MAAAAN! I got back into leagues bowling there. Dang, that sucks.

It's correct that the banquet rooms and the whole place was run down - I think that if they had found some money, they could have updated things and marketed it, at least for gatherings and to use the banquet rooms (they were actually quite nice, even if they were kitchy) they might have made things work. The diner was decent - could have been even better. . .

The best House, and I would probably say, the most profitable, around here is 20 lanes, that is very bowler friendly. But, it is build around a very good restaurant and lounge, which is highly successful.

They also have 8 sand volleyball courts and a VB league in the Summer. Place is crawling with pretty ladies, scantily clad, from waitresses to VB players.

Drink specials for bowlers and food prices drop for them as well. Regular 1/2 pound $9.95 Steak burger platter is only $5 for the Monday league. Bowlers go there for dinner before bowling, it's so good.

They say, TV scheduled Monday and Thursday Night Football to coincide with their 2 larger Men's bowling leagues. The bar is packed after league.

No doubt, it will survive when the larger chains close.

I really fail to see why the chains cater to kids. None of whom can buy a beer.

Another house has 15 pool tables and is a member of APA (American Pool Assoc) which runs tournaments there. Can't find a parking place on Wednesday, pool night. I know, I bowl on Wednesday. And, again, the food is really good. The concession actually has a carry-out pizza business.

Both places have very good food service and reasonably priced drinks. Neither have game rooms.

The best House, and I would probably say, the most profitable, around here is 20 lanes, that is very bowler friendly. But, it is build around a very good restaurant and lounge, which is highly successful.

They also have 8 sand volleyball courts and a VB league in the Summer. Place is crawling with pretty ladies, scantily clad, from waitresses to VB players.

Drink specials for bowlers and food prices drop for them as well. Regular 1/2 pound $9.95 Steak burger platter is only $5 for the Monday league. Bowlers go there for dinner before bowling, it's so good.

They say, TV scheduled Monday and Thursday Night Football to coincide with their 2 larger Men's bowling leagues. The bar is packed after league.

No doubt, it will survive when the larger chains close.

I really fail to see why the chains cater to kids. None of whom can buy a beer.

Another house has 15 pool tables and is a member of APA (American Pool Assoc) which runs tournaments there. Can't find a parking place on Wednesday, pool night. I know, I bowl on Wednesday. And, again, the food is really good. The concession actually has a carry-out pizza business.

Both places have very good food service and reasonably priced drinks. Neither have game rooms.

The guys who run those two places understand business. Just because it's a bowling center doesn't mean you can't attract customers to the bar and restaurant that don't bowl.

The center I bowl at is very well run. They appreciate the league bowlers. They host a free to enter senior appreciation tournament every year and a free to enter appreciation tournament for all league bowlers.

The appreciation tournament has 5 qualifying sessions and 3 divisions depending on each bowler's highest score. The top 4 in each division bowl in a step ladder finals to determine the winners and cash payouts. By the way, I qualified third overall. I bowl on Sunday morning. I'll need to win 3 games to be the top bowler.

Bowling centers can be profitable. If you look at it, most centers opened many years ago. They should all be paid off. Of course capital improvements cost money but that is an investment in the business to keep them success.

Covina closed? MAAAAN! I got back into leagues bowling there. Dang, that sucks.

It's correct that the banquet rooms and the whole place was run down - I think that if they had found some money, they could have updated things and marketed it, at least for gatherings and to use the banquet rooms (they were actually quite nice, even if they were kitchy) they might have made things work. The diner was decent - could have been even better. . .

Dang, sigh.

Yeah, I like the old houses better than the modern centers. They just "feel" like bowling alleys should feel like.

I bowled a tournament there last fall and you could tell things were not being maintained as well as they should be.

for an alley in business that long, one would think updates could be financed out of Equity in the business. Prob says, cash flow was down and they used Equity to run daily business. When it ran out, or was low, they closed.

Our first lane machine break down in a long time occurred a couple of weeks ago and has created havoc among many bowlers accustomed to a specific THS shot.

Our THS has not been the same for 4 weeks. Week 1 of bowling was the normal house shot. The next week a noticeable change very dry with a lot of complaints from bowlers. Week 3 oiled with an older machine. Lane man said the other one broke last week. This time it was like a reverse blocks outside of 5 being out of bounds.. This week again oiled differently again. This time a noticeable visual difference. No longer the usual BOWLMOR 24" start of the oil but more like 6-8 in.I was asssured this time that this pattern is it until they start using a brand new machine in a couple of weeks. I have bowled near or above average each week so it was no big deal but it sure put my team mates in a FUNK. I wonder what it is going to be like in a couple weeks. I do hope they keep the stat of the oil at 6.

Originally Posted By: BOSStull

It was our Brunswick machine that broke. The older Kegel machine is being used now. I was told they are getting a new machine. I would be happy with the Kegel. It laid a good THS down last week.

Spoke too soon. Back to the shot with outside out of 5 being out of bounds. Bring on the mew machine.

Rather than begging for donations we're asking you to do one simple thing to help keep these forums running smooth:
When shopping for anything on Amazon.com or eBay please use these links to go to the web sites.

This won't cost you a cent!

You'll still get the exact same low prices, deals and free or low cost shipping; it doesn't change anything for you at all! The items do not have to be bowling related; all purchases made through these links help us! Amazon.com and eBay will pay us a small commission for every sale and it's helping us cover the expenses.

BowlingFans.com, BowlingFans, The Right Approach, Kegler's Connection, Tour411, BallBeat, BowlingCommunity.com, BowlSearch.com, and Bowling News You Can Use are trademarks of usrbingeek LLC. All other trademarks and tradenames are property of their respective owners.